Posture retaining back brace, backpack structural support or body garment

Abstract

A posture support system, which may alternatively act as a structural support for a backpack and/or be incorporated in a body garment or undergarment, employs a pair of contoured cap sleeves which cradle the humeral heads so as to extend over the scapulas and down over the humerus. The forward end extends as a strap under one of the armpits and connects at its end to the top of a vertically extending central strap extending over the spine. The central strap connects to a waist encircling lumbar support strap. The posterior strap-like ends of the shoulder caps extend over the back and also connect to the top of the spinal strap. By use of adjustable connections to a central disk at the top of the back strap and elastic fabrics in the straps, the shoulders are pulled rearwardly and downwardly so that the body weight is supported over the hips.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates to a posture-improving support system comprising a series of body straps and connecting shoulder caps and more particularly to such a system which may be used to improve posture, to act as a support for a backpack, or may be built into a garment or undergarment.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Prior art back braces or backpack structural supports typically include straps that extend over the wearer's shoulders midway between the neck and the top of the arm bone (humerus). This contact on the trapezius muscle results in chronic straining of the trapezius and the levator scapulae muscles. The straining of these muscles causes spasms and eventually weakening of the muscle between the shoulder blades, the rhomboid and teres muscles, whose job it is to keep the shoulder blades flat on the back. This imbalance of muscle tensions creates a worsening of stooped shoulder, head forward posture, rather than improving posture, and often creatin...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0003]The present invention is accordingly directed toward a posture support brace which a user may wear to resiliently bias the user's shoulders in a rearwardly and downwardly direction to improve posture. Alternatively, the brace may be formed integrally with a garment or undergarment so that the user donning the garment / undergarment will properly apply the brace to the user's body. In another alternative, the brace may provide a support for a backpack or the like so that the weight of the backpack is properly supported on the user's hips and the user's shoulders are simultaneously drawn rearwardly and downwardly to center the user's weight over the spine and thus improve the user's posture.

Problems solved by technology

This contact on the trapezius muscle results in chronic straining of the trapezius and the levator scapulae muscles.

The straining of these muscles causes spasms and eventually weakening of the muscle between the shoulder blades, the rhomboid and teres muscles, whose job it is to keep the shoulder blades flat on the back.

This imbalance of muscle tensions creates a worsening of stooped shoulder, head forward posture, rather than improving posture, and often creating pain, headaches and diminished breathing capacity.

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